Why did the Captain become Awesome?
by ThaliaKitten
Summary: He's the base Ellie can build off of, the font of ambition for Chuck, the loquacious sharer of feelings for Sarah. Devon's the little bit of Captain in all of us.


How did Captain Awesome get that way? We all know the Awesome apple does not fall far from the Awesome tree, but hiding behind all his "Dude" and "Bro" action, Devon Woodcombe is the most driven character in Chuck's life. He provides a good counterbalance to the show's premise of Chuck still choosing a font for his five-year plan.

1. He needs to be the rock Ellie can rely on.

Devon Woodcombe pumped his legs furiously on the bicycle, matching the pounding drums of Dave Grohl pumping out of his ear buds. Sweat beaded on his arms and he felt his heart rate stay just underneath his anaerobic threshold. Head down, his legs, heart and lungs burned furiously.

Ellie and Chuck watched him curiously from the kitchen table. Chuck flagged his attention. "Why do you work out so much, Devon?" He sipped his orange juice, glancing at the sweat puddle on the floor and his sister's reaction to said puddle.

"Because endorphins are awesome, bro," Devon replied, turning down the volume and beginning his cool down.

"That doesn't seem to cover it, Sweetie," Ellie looked at him. "I get an endorphin rush from shopping." She smiled at her brother. "I think it's more likely we will get Chuck on a bike then taking him to Nordstrom's shoe department." Chuck shuddered at the thought and grinned back.

"I don't know, babe," he honestly replied to her. Ellie knew him too well to settle for a nonsensical response such as stating a basic chemical reaction that all humans precipitated on a regular basis. "I guess I like feeling if anything comes up, I can handle it."

"You have no problem handling rock climbing or spelunking," Ellie stood and gave him quick kiss on the cheek. "Me, I have no problem making dinner." She grabbed her purse and headed toward the door. "C'mon, little brother."

Devon watched Chuck grab his phone. Could he really handle anything that came up? He didn't handle the crazy guy in the Buy More at Christmas, nor the bachelor party. He didn't think he could handle John Casey stalking him on behalf of the federal government, nor working at Buy More.

"Later, Awesome," Chuck plunked his glass on the counter and followed his sister out, closing the door behind him.

Now that was a reason he worked out so much. He actually enjoyed it when Chuck and Morgan referred to him as Captain Awesome. It meant his regimen was working.

Athletics were what came naturally in the Woodcombe household. His dad always bragged "the family that worked out together stayed together." Hiking, tennis, surfing, anything you named, they excelled at it. Devon had two younger brothers, and he reveled in their admiration of him. Sports came easy to him, and he loved the rush of adrenalin as the wind howled in his ears on a racetrack. Hearty fit people seemed to have an advantage over their softer counterparts, and maintaining an exercise program was a lot easier than starting one over and over again.

Devon unclipped and wiped the bike down. He glanced at his favorite picture from the wedding. The reflection of Ellie, hair pulled high, glowed back at him.

Ellie was awesome without even trying. She was not always game for cliff diving, hang gliding or BASE-jumping, but a hike in the national park (which one?) didn't faze her in the least. She didn't work out to work out, but to throw the football in the courtyard with him because she enjoyed it. It made him envious, and that was not awesome. One of requirements for his dream girl was that she could keep up with him. Ellie could not only keep up with him, she did it while parenting an underachieving brother, finishing med school and making amazing dinners with one hand tied behind her back. If he could admit it to Ellie, he would say he worked out because if he stopped he didn't know if he could keep up with her.

Even after a night of margaritas, Ellie would wake up all tousled and mussed, hazel eyes smoky and gorgeous. She'd put on her pink terry cloth robe and putter out to the kitchen to whip up eggs and bacon, making sure his special green algae shake was prepared just right. She'd wrap her hair in a bun, secure it with a pen and look amazing while putting Rachael Ray to shame. Or he would cross paths with her at the hospital, where Dr. Bartowski juggled multiple patients with a kind and caring eye, saving people's lives.

She taught him that a night curled up on the couch watching Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter was just as much fun as surfing the shipping canal. If they were going to the beach, it was fine to flop on the blanket with a paperback instead of building a three-foot sandcastle complete with turrets. For her, awesome was doing what she felt, not what was expected.

That was one reason they complimented each other so well. He craved excitement and the unknown. He had grown up with stability, family life and a platform to fly off of. After her mother and then father left, Ellie's days had been filled with the unknown. She craved stability, family and a life she could call her own. He was determined to provide her that.

Now that was something he could handle.


End file.
